House coalition unveils blueprint for altering permitting processes
In a bid to facilitate the construction of transmission lines, pipelines, and power projects, a bipartisan House group has unveiled a permitting reform 'framework.' The 47-member Problem Solvers Caucus intends to turn this framework into legislation. The proposed framework aims to streamline the permitting should by setting deadlines for court reviews of permitting decisions. It also suggests restricting judicial standing for litigating projects to parties who submitted detailed comments during public review. Moreover, the framework proposes reducing the statute of limitations for permitting lawsuits to one year or less, with 150-day limits for FAST-41 projects. One of the key proposals is the amendment of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors process to allow for individual national interest high-impact transmission lines. This change could expedite the approval process for such projects. The framework also promotes grid-enhancing technologies to maximize capacity on existing transmission lines and expedites geothermal project permitting by allowing for simultaneous consideration of multiple project phases. Martin Durbin, U.S. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president for policy, called for permitting reforms in a Sept. 3 blog post. Durbin criticized the Trump administration's recent stop-work orders for offshore wind projects, stating that these orders inject significant uncertainty into the infrastructure development process and risk raising the cost of electricity. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. and Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair, emphasized that sky-high energy costs are a major concern for Americans. With electricity prices rising more than 6.5% in the last year and demand skyrocketing, Suozzi believes that this framework could provide much-needed relief. The framework further proposes clarifying that Clean Water Act Section 401 certifications by states should focus only on water quality impacts of a project that result from the federally permitted or licensed activity. The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, supported by EEI, a trade group for investor-owned utilities, and other utility groups, is at the heart of this reform. If passed, the Act could potentially be attached to 'must-pass' spending bills, as suggested by ClearView Energy Partners. However, if the SPEED Act passed the House in its current form, it would likely face an uphill climb in the Senate, according to ClearView Energy Partners. During a House hearing on Sept. 10, Democrats expressed concerns that actions by the Trump administration undermined the prospect of compromise on permitting reform. Despite these concerns, the bipartisan support for the framework remains strong. The utility groups in Congress supporting the standardization and acceleration law (Standardisierungs- und Beschleunigungsgesetz) and also backing the permitting reform framework are not explicitly named in the search results. The documents reviewed do not specify particular utility groups involved in these legislative efforts.
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